14-year-old Rhys Yeomans talks to us about his inspirations

13 June 2013

From the Billy Elliot West End Stage to the Finals of Got to Dance

What was it like performing on Got to Dance? Performing on Got to Dance was out of this world. It was an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life, especially being in the live final in front of so many people at Olympia in London. I’ll never forget the nerves and adrenaline of that night – the atmosphere was surreal!

Why did you want to perform on Got to Dance? I have watched the show every year since Matthew Koon, who also trained at my school, was on it in the first series and I absolutely love it! Also, my big inspiration is Kimberly Wyatt and being able to perform in front of her was like a dream come true. She was really encouraging and told me to pursue my dreams.

“My ISTD training has been so important to get me where I am today”

What was it like performing in the starring role in Billy Elliot? Being a West End star at the age of 12 was unbelievable. I had the chance to perform in front of thousands of people every night and every audience was so incredible and so moved by the show. To perform in such an emotionally charged show was amazing.

Do you prefer performing on stage or on television? I love both of them but I really felt when I was performing on Got to Dance that it was me, and I had to fight for my life because I really wanted to show everyone what I can do.

What inspired you to become a dancer? When I watched the film Billy Elliot it made me get up and go out to find dancing lessons. I started to train at Centre Pointe in Manchester where I took classes in Classical Ballet, Modern and Tap. The film has really driven me to reach my goal in life of becoming a professional dancer.

How valuable has your ISTD training been in helping you get to where you are today? My ISTD training has been so important to get me where I am today. I am lucky to have a lot of teachers and I take classes in lots of styles, which is so important these days to be technically strong in a lot of styles. Studying the ISTD syllabus at a younger age especially gave me strong skills in Modern and Tap techniques, which helped me to be a more versatile dancer and pursue a career in dance.